


Little Elfling Lost

by sheraiah



Series: Father and Son Universe [1]
Category: Lord of the Rings (Movies), Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Mild Language, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-28
Updated: 2012-12-28
Packaged: 2017-11-22 18:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/612824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheraiah/pseuds/sheraiah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A human hunting party stumbles across the aftermath of an orc attack in which a very young elf is the only survivor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Elfling Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Tolkien, the OC's are all mine.

The elfling peered about the clearing warily. The orcs had left just  
before the sun had broken through the trees and it had been very quiet  
since then. He crept down from his hiding place in the tree and made his  
way to his guard's side. Tathordil lay on his back, his eyes closed, a  
gaping wound in his side. The elfling shook his guard, puzzled. Why were  
his eyes closed and why did he not move? None of the big elves were  
moving. The elfling could not understand why all the big elves just lay  
there. Perhaps they were sleeping. His Adar [father] slept with his eyes  
closed every once in a while when he was very tired. The elfling was  
hungry, but he was tired, too after staying in the tree that Tathordil  
had hidden him in all night. He settled down at Tathordil's uninjured  
side and laid his head on the guard's chest. He was asleep in moments.

Pannad surveyed the horrifying scene before him with apprehension. The  
bodies of twelve elven warriors littered the glade like broken dolls.  
That orcs were responsible for this obscenity was more than evident.  
Orcs were seldom able to best elven warriors; the elves must have been  
greatly outnumbered. That this had occurred so close to the settlement  
was doubly frightening. Several horses lay at the edge of the glade,  
their bodies bearing the telltale signs of being feasted upon, most  
likely by the orcs. A flash of something pale caught Pannad's eye and he  
moved cautiously toward the center of the glade. His eyes widened in  
dismay as he took in the sight of a young child nestled against one of  
the dead warriors. He gently lifted the child off the warrior and turned  
him onto his back.

The child's eyes were half open and he was warm to the touch. Pannad  
started as he realized that the little one was still breathing. He  
brushed the child's hair back from his face, revealing the little one's  
delicately pointed ears. A sigh of relief escaped him when he realized  
that the child was not injured, he was merely sleeping. At the slight  
noise, the little one stirred and his eyes focused. As he focused on the  
human kneeling next to him, the little elf cried out in panic and shook  
the shoulder of the dead warrior he had been resting next to. The human  
settled back onto his heels and held out his hands, palm up to show that  
he held no weapons. The elfling stilled, unsure of what he should do  
next as his efforts at waking his guard had yielded no results.

Pannad reached to his belt for his water skin. He uncorked it and poured  
a bit over his fingers to show the little one what the skin held.  
Raising it to his lips, he took a swallow before offering the skin to  
the elfling. The little one accepted the skin and took a cautious sip.  
Finding nothing amiss with the taste, he drank deeply. Water dribbled  
down his chin onto his tunic. The human smiled, encouraged, and took a  
small packet from another pouch on his belt. Opening it he removed a  
wafer of hardtack. He took a small bite, then broke it in half and  
handed the untouched half to the elfling. The little one's stomach  
growled audibly as he bit into the wafer and he flushed, embarrassed,  
but did not cease devouring the wafer. It disappeared in record time.

Pannad glanced up and noted that the others in his hunting party had  
checked the rest of the elves and had found no other survivors. Yarnan,  
his longtime friend, and two others had begun to dig a grave for the  
fallen elves. Pannad approved, it was the least they could do. His only  
worry was how the little one would react, since it was obvious that he  
did not understand that his kin were dead.

He turned his attention back to the elfling who was finishing his second  
piece of hardtack. He handed the water skin back to the little elf and  
was pleased to note that the little one did not flinch when his hand  
came in contact with Pannad's. The elfling lowered the skin, having  
drunk his fill, and studied Pannad curiously. The human wondered briefly  
if it was the first time the little one had seen someone of a race other  
than his own. He decided to see if the little one had indeed lost his  
fear and held out his hands to the little elf, asking him without words  
to allow the human to pick him up. The little one hesitated, and then  
moved cautiously toward the human. Pannad did not move, allowing the  
elfling to progress at his own pace. When the elfling stood close  
enough, Pannad slowly moved his arms around the little one and stood up,  
settling the elfling on his hip and patting the small back in a  
comforting manner.

He walked steadily away from the carnage toward his horse. The elfling  
suddenly squirmed and Pannad, who had four sons, quickly determined the  
reason and moved to the tree line to give the elfling a bit of privacy.  
The little one moved several paces away, glancing back over his shoulder  
at Pannad every step or so before shifting his clothing and heeding  
nature's call. Pannad kept his head turned away, respecting the  
youngling's privacy. He heard the rustle of clothing as the little one  
finished and covered himself again and turned back. The youngling was  
staring intently into the bushes. Pannad moved to his side quickly,  
fearing what might be lurking in front of him, but the elfling was  
quicker and darted forward. Pannad gave chase, his pace increasing when  
he heard the elfling scream.

He broke through the bushes, fearing that an animal had taken the child.  
The elfling stood several feet in front of him, eyes wide with shock as  
he stared at the headless torso of one of his companions. The head lay a  
few paces away. Pannad swiftly snatched up the child, cursing mentally  
at his ill choice of a location for the child to relieve himself. He  
turned the child around, nestling him against his shoulder and blocking  
the horrible sight from the little ones' eyes. Murmuring soothing  
nonsense, he made his way back to the glade. Yarnan met him at the tree  
line, concern etching his craggy features and weapon in hand. Pannad  
grimaced at his friend.

"'Nother body 'bout seven paces inside the trees." Yarnan's grimace  
matched Pannad's and he reached out to briefly rest his large hand on  
the elfling's head.

"Poor little blighter. No sign of a female anywheres around, so 'e might  
still have a mum at least. 'Ope the one in the trees weren't 'is Da."  
Pannad nodded, he had had the same thought.

"They must've had enough warning to 'ide 'im before they got attacked.  
'E saw the whole thing, like as not. I do'en think 'e knew they were  
dead until just now. Let's get the dead ones buried and we'll take 'im  
back wi' us. Rangers're due through any day now, should be able to find  
out how to get word to 'is kin. It might even be the brothers. If'n they  
do'en know 'im, they'll know who to get word to. 'E kin stay with Allus  
'n me til we find out where 'e belongs."

"Aye, that'll do 'im a bit of good. 'E'll have four females dotin' on  
'im. Wonder 'ow old 'e is. Looks about the size o' your youngest."  
Yarnan gave the elfling a gentle pat on the back before turning back to  
his task.

The elfing made no move or sound through the rest of their stay in the  
glade. Every so often a tremor would run through the small body and  
Pannad would rub his back and speak softly to him until it passed. After  
a while, the tense limbs relaxed and his breathing became regular.  
Pannad heaved a relieved sigh, realizing that the little one had passed  
into sleep.

They packed the soil as tightly as possible over the fallen warriors and  
gathered up their weapons to give to the families the dead ones had left  
behind, as was the custom in the settlement. Pannad handed the little  
elf to Yarnan and mounted his horse before reaching down to take the  
little one back into his arms. Yarnan held his mount's reins as he  
settled the elfling securely against his chest. The rest of the hunting  
party mounted up and they made their way back to the settlement with  
some haste as the day was fast waning and they did not want to be caught  
in the wood after dark.

Pannad reined his mount in, relaxing at last. His oldest son came out of  
the barn and moved swiftly to his father's side, taking the reigns from  
him and holding the horse steady as Pannad dismounted. It had been a  
hard ride, but the little one had not stirred once. His son looked  
questioningly at the bundle in his father's arms, but held his tongue  
and led the horse into the barn. Pannad continued on to the house,  
opening the door with one hand while cradling the elfling with the  
other. His wife, Allus, looked up with a smile as he entered. Her  
expression became one of concern as she took in the bundle in Pannad's arms.

"What happened? That isn't Tollis," she stated, naming their youngest  
son. Pannad shook his head and uncovered his burden's small, blond head  
and pointed ears. Allus gasped in shock, and then her maternal instincts  
took over. "Oh, the poor little lamb! What happened?" Pannad gave her a  
brief and sanitized version of their discovery and what the little elf  
had seen. As he had expected, Allus immediately swept the little elf  
from his arms and called for their daughters. In sort order, the women  
of his house had the elfling bathed, dressed in night clothing borrowed  
from his youngest son, and tucked into a trundle bed his children had  
outgrown that they placed by the fire.

After their supper, Pannad explained to the children that the little elf  
had likely lost at least one parent and would be staying with them until  
Pannad could find out who he belonged with. He was proud to see his  
children rise to the occasion, his youngest son Tollis solemnly  
declaring that he would share his clothing and toys with the elfling,  
and his daughters Nieve, Ammie, and Cerra declaring that they would  
mother the little one until he could be reunited with his family. The  
older boys Peraol, Jorran, and Fesel, volunteered to try to bring the  
little one out of his grief. Pannad and Allus shared a look of intense  
pride over the children's heads before Pannad broke into their planning  
with a dose of reality.

"'Tis happy I am that you're bein' so generous, but you need to remember  
that the little blighter's been through a lot and 'e might not do what  
you're thinkin'. Take it slow wi' 'im. I don't think 'e speaks anythin'  
but elf-talk, either, so you'll have to figure a way 'round that, too.  
To bed, now. Mornin' comes early." Good natured groans met the  
statement, but they filed out after dutifully kissing both parents.  
Allus' eyes lingered on the trundle bed for a moment before she spoke.

"You're thinking' 'e might be teched in the head after what 'e saw." Her  
words were not a question.

"'Tis possible. 'E didn't understand they was dead 'til 'e saw the body  
of the one without 'is head. He hasn't done anythin' but shiver since."  
Pannad hated to think of the bright little eyes he had seen dimmed, but  
the possibility had to be faced. Allus frowned, but her reply was  
neither fatalistic nor surprising.

"Young'uns is tougher than most folk make 'em out to be. I 'spect 'e'll  
surprise you." She moved her chair next to the hearth and took up the  
shirt she was mending. "I'll stay by 'im the night, in case 'e wakes and  
gets scared."

Dawn had barely begun to touch the horizon when the household awoke.  
Pannad and his sons saw to the care of their livestock while Allus and  
the girls prepared the morning meal. The little elf had slept the night  
through without waking and was still slumbering in the trundle bed by  
the hearth, undisturbed by the activity around him until the smell of  
the porridge, eggs and sausage reached his nose. Blinking, he sat up and  
rubbed his eyes then froze at the sight of the unfamiliar room.

The oldest girl noticed that he was awake first and approached him  
slowly, smiling and speaking in soothing tones. His eyes darted from her  
to the other humans in the room warily. The girl took up a cup and  
filled it with water, careful to take a sip before handing it to him. He  
sampled it as he had with the water skin the day before and again  
finding no strangeness in the flavor, drank it down quickly. The girl  
held out her arms like the man had and the elfling understood that she  
wished to lift him. He slid haltingly from the bed into her arms. She  
settled him on her hip and smiled, wrinkling her nose at him. He  
regarded her solemnly for a moment before turning his attention to the  
others. There were two girls smaller than the one who held him and a  
taller female that resembled the other three. All of them smiled at him  
and spoke pleasantly in their strange tongue.

A noise from the door startled him, causing him to jerk around in the  
girl's arms. The human who had found him entered the dwelling followed  
by four other humans, one of whom was about the elfling's size. The one  
who had found him smiled at him and ruffled his hair as he passed the  
girl. The elfling shot him a puzzled look and smoothed his hair. The  
little human bounced excitedly and chattered at him, patting his leg.  
The girl who held him laughed and said something to the little human  
that made him bound away up the steep ladder into the upper level of the  
dwelling. He returned a few minutes later with a bundle under one arm.  
The girl took the bundle and carried the elfling through the door next  
to the hearth.

She set him down next to a very warm stone wall and proceeded to wash  
his face and hands and comb his hair. Once that was accomplished she  
pulled the thin gown he wore over his head and helped him into the tunic  
and breeches the boy had carried down the ladder. He wanted to tell her  
that he was a big elf and no longer needed assistance in dressing, but  
did not know how so he allowed her to help him.

When he was dressed she lifted him again and carried him back into the  
main part of the dwelling and set him at the table between herself and  
the smallest human. She filled a bowl with porridge and placed it before  
him, then handed him a spoon. A cup was placed next to the bowl. He  
examined the contents of the bowl, sniffing it cautiously. It smelled  
rather good, so he took a small bite. The porridge tasted almost as good  
as what he normally had at home and it disappeared rapidly. The cup  
proved to contain not the water he had expected, but some white  
substance. He sampled it and decided that he could tolerate it and drank  
it down. Next a plate was placed before him that held egg and some sort  
of meat. He ate the egg readily, but the meat tasted funny and he  
decided to leave it on the plate.

His attention was wandering now that his hunger was satisfied and he  
squirmed. The girl laughed and said something to the small human next to  
him. The boy crammed the last piece of the sausage on his plate in his  
mouth and grabbed the elfling's hand, pulling him from his seat and over  
to a corner where a wooden chest sat. The boy opened the chest and  
removed some carved wooden animals, offering half of them to the  
elfling. He turned the figure of a deer over in his hands, examining it  
minutely. It was nearly identical to one he had at home that a friend  
had made for him. He looked at the small human, who seemed to be waiting  
for something. Belatedly, the elfling realized that he was being invited  
to play and he set the deer on the floor and picked up a bird. He looked  
at it for a minute before deciding it was a sparrow and pursing his  
lips, he imitated a sparrow's call. The boy clapped delightedly and  
offered him a wolf. Warming to this game, the elfling uttered the long  
mournful howl of a wolf. Again the boy clapped and then handed him a  
squirrel. The elfling giggled and proceeded to chatter like a squirrel.  
A bear, fox, and mouse followed in succession and the entire family  
chuckled at the antics of the two.

The boy picked up a horse to hand to the little elf. As soon as he saw  
it, the elfling shrieked and fled to the other side of the room. He  
curled into a ball in the corner, shaking uncontrollably. He felt  
someone lift him and cradle him in their arms, speaking to him in  
soothing tones. A soft hand stroked his hair and dried the tears that  
flowed down his cheeks. The one holding him settled into a chair by the  
fire and began to rock him. He could hear the little human sniffling and  
the big one who had found him speaking softly to him.

Nieve rocked the little elf, softly telling him that everything would be  
all right, that she and her family would not let anything harm him. She  
hoped that even though he did not understand the words, he might  
understand the tone of her voice and be comforted. He sobbed brokenly,  
calling out something that sounded like 'Ada'. Eventually he calmed,  
snuffling every so often. Tollis wandered over to apologize, but the  
elfling merely burrowed his head into Nieve's neck. Poor little thing,  
she thought. He had suffered so much and seen things no youngling should  
ever see. Her arms tightened around him and she kissed his temple.

Pannad laid a hand on his daughter's shoulder briefly before announcing  
that he was going to the market to see if there was any word of the  
rangers. After he departed, Allus chased the rest of the family, except  
Nieve out to play. Taking advantage of a rare opportunity to do as they  
pleased, the children scattered. Allus knelt by Nieve, one hand rubbing  
the little one's back. Slowly his head lifted and he looked at her with  
tear filled blue-gray eyes. She smiled at him and patted his back. He  
reached out and patted her face, then sat up in Nieve's lap. Allus met  
Nieve's eyes for a moment, and then patted her own chest.

"Allus. Allus." She patted Nieve's shoulder, "Nieve. Nieve." The elfling  
cocked his head for a moment then nodded. He patted Nieve.

" Nieve." He patted Allus, " Allus." He patted his chest," Legolas." He  
repeated it twice, slowly, to help them pronounce it properly. Allus  
placed her hand on his chest and repeated it. He nodded. Suddenly, he  
struggled to scramble off Nieve's lap. He looked around, dancing a bit.  
Allus quickly deduced the problem and guided him through the door by the  
hearth into the room behind and to a copper pot in the corner. He  
wrinkled his nose fastidiously, but needed to go too badly to go outside  
to find a more appropriate spot. After making sure that Allus had left  
the room, he did what was needed and scrambled back into the main room  
and back into Nieve's lap.

Legolas spent the rest of the day following Nieve around as she did her  
chores, holding on to her skirt tightly with one hand. Although he was  
normally a brave little elf, the recent traumas he had endured made him  
cling to the security that the human girl offered. Nieve paused every  
few minutes thorough the day to pat his back or brush his hair out of  
his face.

He watched her work with curiosity. To his eyes, the tasks she was  
performing were similar to the ones he had observed the members of his  
Ada's household perform. He watched Nieve prepare soup for the family's  
lunch, gnawing on a carrot that she had handed to him when he tugged on  
her skirt and pointed to it. She then made berry pies, chuckling at his  
obvious interest.

"'E knows what pies are, Mum. Look at 'im." Nieve grinned at the  
elfling's expression. Allus laughed softly.

" Aye, ain't no young'un alive as doesn't like sweets." She paused for a  
moment, then continued, "Reckon 'e's missin' 'is mum."

"Aye, reckon 'e is. 'E seems a sweet 'un." Nieve smiled at him again,  
her smile growing when he smiled tentatively back. She stooped to kiss  
the top of his head, a gesture that Tollis would have ducked and run  
from. Legolas merely accepted the affection and patted her arm in  
return. "Reckon 'is mum is missin' 'im somethin' fierce, too." She  
dusted the flour off her hands and wiped them on her apron. "Mum, would  
you mind puttin' the pies in fer me? I do'en want Legolas that near the  
'earth and I do'en think 'e'll leave me side for long enow fer me ta put  
'em in."

Two weeks passed and the elfling grew used to the humans who were caring  
for him. He had nightmares and often woke in the night calling for his  
Ada. The humans were kind and tried to help him any way they could. He  
picked up quite a few of their words and could make himself understand  
fairly well using a combination of halting Westron and gestures. He  
forgave the little human and often played with him; both of them  
carefully avoiding the carved wooden horse that had cause his flashback  
the first day. He kept to the house and yard mostly, never venturing far  
from Nieve to whom he had formed a strong attachment.

Pannad, for his part, went almost daily to the marketplace to seek  
information about the expected arrival of the rangers. He worried that  
the little one would sicken without his kin. He simply knew so little  
about elves and was fearful that they would fail to recognize all of his  
needs. The little one had earned his respect over the last two weeks. He  
never complained and rarely cried unless he had had a nightmare or  
something had triggered a flashback. His behavior and manners spoke of a  
caring and disciplined upbringing. Pannad fervently hoped that the  
little elf had at least some family left to him.

At the beginning of the elfling's third week with his family, Pannad  
made his way to the marketplace. A commotion ahead of him caused his  
hopes to rise and he swiftly made his way through the crowd. The mere  
presence of rangers was not enough to cause such uproar. Pannad hoped  
against hope that it was the brothers, the twin elves who sometimes rode  
with the rangers. As he drew nearer, a smile bloomed across his face.  
Two tall, lithe, dark haired figures stood speaking to several of the  
settlement's children. As he approached, one of the brothers looked up  
and smiled.

"Well met, Pannad! How is your family?" the elf smiled warmly at him. He  
never had been able to tell them apart and replied to both.

"Fine an' feisty, thankee. I need ye help wi' somethin' though." The  
elves exchanged a startled look and nodded expectantly. "'Bout three  
weeks gone me an' Yarnan an' some others were out huntin' an' we came  
upon a bunch of dead elves. Orcs done it, no question." The brothers'  
gazes turned sharp, he had their full attention. "Anyways, there was a  
wee one with them. We figure they hid him before the orcs got 'em.  
Wasn't a scratch on the little blighter, but he saw the whole ugly  
thing. He's been stayin' with my family, but he needs to be wi' his own  
folk. I was wonderin' if ye'd mind talkin' to him and helpin' us get him  
home." The brothers exchanged another look, and then one of them replied.

"Of course we will help you, Pannad. You did not even need to ask. Let  
us get settled in and cleaned up and we will talk to him." Pannad  
slumped with relief.

"Thankee kindly, an' please sup wi' us. The young'uns'll be glad to see  
ye. "The brothers accepted readily and Pannad headed for home to inform  
Allus of their dinner guests.

Elladan and Elrohir made their way down the street toward Pannad's  
house. The man was a long time acquaintance and they trusted his word  
implicitly, however unsettling it was. Reaching the family's dwelling,  
they knocked on the door. Allus opened the door and with a smile bade  
them enter. The children immediately swarmed around the twins, causing  
them to laugh. The twins produced presents for the children causing much  
commotion. Allus gently reined them in, sending them to wash up and  
handed each twin a mug of her excellent cider. Pannad waved them toward  
the chairs in front of the hearth and seated himself on the bench.

"Nieve'll bring the little one out in a bit. He's gotten a mite attached  
to her. He's a good 'un, real polite. Ye can tell he's been raised  
right." Pannad paused to take a swig of cider. "He's brave, too. Don't  
complain or cry unless he's had a nightmare. We figure his Da was one of  
the dead ones, but as we didn't see no sign of a female with 'em, we  
figure his Mum might still be alive." Elladan and Elrohir drained their  
mugs and set them on the hearth.

The door next to the hearth opened and Pannad's oldest daughter entered  
the main room. A small hand clutched her skirt, but the hand's owner  
remained out of sight behind the girl. Elladan smiled a bit and called  
out to the little one in Sindarin. He stopped so suddenly that he almost  
pulled the girl down on top of him.

"Elladan! Elrohir!" The elfling shrieked and launched himself at the  
brothers. Elladan overcame his shock just in time to catch the rapidly  
moving wood elf.

"Legolas! Sweet Eru, elfling, what happened?" Elladan wrapped the little  
elf in a secure embrace as the story came tumbling out of him amidst  
sobs. Elrohir knelt by his brother's chair, wrapping his arms about the  
both of them and resting his cheek on Legolas' head. They stayed that  
way for several minutes until Legolas' sobs quieted. Elrohir raised his  
head and stroked the elfling's pale locks with one hand. He met Pannad's  
eyes and decided that an explanation was needed.

"Legolas' family and ours have been friends for millennia. He was  
visiting us and left two weeks after we did. We will ride to his  
father's home tonight and guide him back here." Pannad's relief was  
palpable.

"Then his Da is still alive. Good, I was afeared that he'd died wi' the  
rest o' 'em." Elladan frowned a bit.

"Pannad, I think you had better tell us the whole story. His father will  
need to know what needs healing." Pannad winced, but nodded.

"Aye, I will but not here. Tis not a tale for young'uns or womenfolk."  
Elladan closed his eyes briefly and nodded his acquiescence before  
turning his attention back to Legolas.

"Legolas, tithen min, hush. It is all right now." Elladan soothed the  
elfling in his arms with the expertise of long practice. He had done the  
same many times for both his younger sister and Legolas himself on his  
frequent visits with the elfling.

The elfling sniffled a bit more then sat up in Elladan's lap and  
scrubbed his eyes with a fist.

" I want Ada."

"I know, tithen ernil. Elrohir and I will ride to his halls and bring  
him to you. We will need you to keep being a big elf and behaving  
courteously to Pannad and his family until we return. Can you do that?"

"No. I am going with you." The elfling's face was set in an obstinate  
expression more frequently seen on his sire. Elladan fixed him with a  
stern look.

"No, you are not. It is far too dangerous for you without a much larger  
escort. Your Adar will bring many warriors with him when we bring him  
here so that he and we can be certain that you are protected." The  
elfling scowled fiercely at them, reminding them again strongly of  
Thranduil and spoke very clearly in Westron.

"Shit."

Elladan blinked in shock and stared at Legolas. Elrohir had to look  
away, practically choking himself trying not to laugh. Pannad flushed.

"I swear 'e didna 'ear that one from me!"

"It hardly matters where he heard it. I do not want to be within one  
hundred leagues if he says that in his father's presence." Elladan  
pinched the bridge of his nose in a manner uncannily like HIS sire.  
"Legolas, that is a very impolite word. Your Adar would be shamed to  
hear it coming from your lips." Legolas stuck his tongue out at the dark  
haired elf and scrambled off his lap. Darting out of the twins' reach,  
he scooted behind Nieve's skirts.

"Mitho orch, Elladan!" [Go kiss an orc]

"Well, least I know 'e didna get that one from me or mine." Pannad eyed  
the twins with barely conceal amusement. " Tha's the most fire 'e's  
shown since I brung 'im 'ere."

"Legolas can be a proper hellion when he wants to. He is angry with me  
right now because I will not take him with us tomorrow. We may well have  
to truss him up to keep him from following us." Elladan was frowning in  
the elfling's direction. Elrohir's chuckle focused his twin's frown on him.

"Oh, that is the cauldron calling the kettle black! Neither you nor I  
have any room to call another 'hellion', brother, and well you know it."  
He smirked at Elladan, dodging a mock blow the other aimed at him.  
"Besides, the look on your face when he told you to go kiss an orc was  
priceless." Pannad snorted.

"Was that what 'e said, then? 'E's right, ya know. Yer face was priceless."

King Thranduil was losing hope. His son had been missing for nearly four  
weeks. He knew that if Legolas was dead, he would no longer have the  
will to remain among the living. He had ordered his patrols to comb  
every possible path from Imladris in hopes of finding at least some sign  
of Legolas and his escort. For the hundredth time, Thranduil cursed  
himself for not accompanying his son. He had barely slept or eaten in  
the last four weeks and had visibly lost weight. His will alone kept him  
on his feet and functioning. His seneschal, Sindadur, entered his study  
excitement flushing his normally serene features.

"My Lord, the sons of Elrond have arrived and wish to speak to you. They  
said it was urgent." Thranduil nodded absently.

"Show them here, Sindadur. I have no wish to dress to meet them in the  
throne room." Sindadur bowed, leaving to do his king's bidding. A few  
minutes later, he returned with Elladan and Elrohir. Eyeing them,  
Thranduil decided that the matter must be urgent indeed as they had not  
even taken the time to wash the dust of travel from their bodies.  
Elladan, ever the leader, addressed him.

"King Thranduil, we have come from a small human settlement just this  
side of the Misty Mountains. They came upon a group of your people that  
had been killed by orcs about four weeks ago near their settlement. The  
guards had time enough to hide Legolas before the orcs attacked them and  
he is alive." Thranduil's head snapped up and he locked eyes with the  
younger elf. "He is being cared for by a family in the settlement. We  
left for here as soon as we found out what had happened." Elladan  
watched the relief wash over Thranduil's face. He looked up again, and  
Elladan thought he saw the shine of tears in the king's eyes. His voice,  
however, was steady.

"Was he injured?" Elladan shook his head.

"Not physically. He saw everything that happened to his escort."  
Thranduil closed his eyes and swore. When he opened them again, he fixed  
the twins with an intense stare.

"My thanks to you, Elladan, Elrohir. I am in your debt. Would you be so  
kind as to guide me to this settlement so that I may retrieve my son?"  
At their nods, he continued, "How long do you need before you are able  
to ride?"

"As soon as we eat something we will be ready to go." He nodded and  
turned to Sindadur, who bade the twins follow him.

The large troop of elves would have been cause for alarm in the  
settlement had Elladan and Elrohir not been riding among them. The troop  
continued through the streets of the settlement to Pannad's home.  
Elladan and Elrohir dismounted, strode to the door, and knocked. Allus  
opened the door, her eyes going wide when she saw the large troop of  
elves in her yard. Elladan chuckled at her.

"Peace, Allus. Legolas' father has come to take him home." Understanding  
flooded her face and she smiled. Turning she called over her shoulder to  
the elfling. Outside she saw a tall, blond elf dismount and start toward  
the house. Legolas appeared at the door and the blond elf halted, his  
eyes locked on the elfling. Legolas caught sight of him and flew out the  
door.

"Ada!" he shrieked. Elladan and Elrohir grinned ear to ear as King  
Thranduil knelt in the dust to scoop his son up into a fierce hug.

Nieve stood in the doorway next to her mother watching her charge greet  
his father. Legolas was crying openly and Thranduil looked suspiciously  
close to doing so. He hugged his son, kissed him, dried his tears, and  
hugged and kissed him again not caring in the slightest who was  
watching. Finally, he set Legolas on his feet and held him at arm's  
length, looking him over minutely. Legolas squirmed and Thranduil  
relented, pulling the elfling into his arms again. Legolas began  
speaking rapidly, intent on filling his father in on all that had  
happened to him in the last weeks. Thranduil listened with far more  
patience than most would have given him credit for having, his eyes  
drinking in the sight of his son, hale and whole and returned to him.  
Eventually, Legolas ran out of words and laid his head on his father's  
shoulder. Thranduil stood and made his way over to the humans.

"My thanks for your kindness to my son. I am in your debt. Should you  
need aught, you have but to ask." Allus bobbed a quick curtsey before  
replying.

"Tis not necessary, milord. We're glad to've done it an' 'e was really  
no trouble t'all. 'E's a good lad and a brave 'un."

"All the same, my word stands." Thranduil inclined his head to the women  
before turning to speak to Elladan and Elrohir. The twins nodded and  
left quickly to return a bit later with Pannad in tow. Thranduil thanked  
the human and repeated his vow of assistance to him. He waved away  
Pannad's insistence that it was not necessary and moved to his horse.  
With a last look of thanks, he turned his mount toward home, his guards  
following closely behind and his son held close in his arms.

It was only after he departed that Pannad and Allus discovered exactly  
who they had sheltered for almost five weeks. Thranduil kept his word  
and several times over the ages his people came to the aid of the  
settlement until it was abandoned just before the War of the Ring.


End file.
